Dr Liu Zhikai joined the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong in 2025 as a Post-Doctoral Fellow. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering and Technology from Beijing University of Chemical Technology in 2018 and completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2024. During his doctoral training, he investigated microreactor-enabled process intensification for lipid-nanoparticle (LNP) production and endosomal-escape modulators for mRNA vaccines.

Dr Liu’s research integrates microfluidics and AI-guided formulation design to create novel delivery systems for mRNA vaccines. He has developed high-throughput microfluidic platforms with AI algorithms to optimise LNP composition, morphology, and immunogenicity in real time. At the University of Hong Kong, Dr Liu is expanding this technology to address pressing public-health needs, including rapid vaccine prototyping for emerging infectious diseases and personalised cancer immunotherapies. He collaborates closely with clinicians and data scientists to translate laboratory advances into safe, scalable, and cost-effective mRNA vaccine candidates. Dr Liu looks forward to working with colleagues to accelerate the development of innovative drugs and vaccines that improve global health outcomes.

1. Zhikai Liu, Mei Yang, Wang Yao, Tingting Wang, Guangwen Chen*. Microfluidic ultrasonic cavitation enables versatile and scalable synthesis of monodisperse nanoparticles for biomedical application. Chemical Engineering Science, 2023, 280, 119052.
2. Zhikai Liu, Mei Yang, Zhengya Dong, Chaoqun Yao, Guangwen Chen*. Cavitation behavior and mixing performance of antisolvent precipitation process in an ultrasonic micromixer. AIChE Journal, 2023, 69 (7), e18080.
3. Zhikai Liu, Mei Yang*, Qiankun Zhao, Chaoqun Yao, Guangwen Chen*. Scale-up of antisolvent precipitation process with ultrasonic microreactors: Cavitation patterns, mixing characteristics and application in nanoparticle manufacturing. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2023, 475, 146040.
4. Zhikai Liu, Wang Yao, Daixin Chen, Letao Guo, Mei Yang*, Guangwen Chen*. Application of microchemical technology in nano-drug delivery system. Sci Sin Chim, 2024, 54, 2037-2054.
5. Letao Guo, Zhikai Liu, Shirong Song, Wang Yao, Mei Yang*, Guangwen Chen*. Maximizing the mRNA productivity for in vitro transcription by optimization of fed-batch strategy. Biochemical Engineering Journal, 2024, 210, 109412.
6. Wang Yao, Zhikai Liu, Letao Guo, Shirong Song, Mei Yang*, Guangwen Chen*. Continuous synthesis of monodisperse polymer nanoparticles: New insights into the effects of experimental variables under controlled mixing conditions. Chemical Engineering Science, 2024, 288, 119846.
7. Daixin Chen, Zhikai Liu, Letao Guo, Lixia Yang, Yuchao Zhao*, Mei Yang*. Controlled preparation of lipid nanoparticles in microreactors: Mixing time, morphology and mRNA delivery. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2025, 505, 159318.